


Age is a Virus

by WindwiseWords



Series: Xenogen City [25]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Caring, Carrying, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Illnesses, Medical Examination, Medical Procedures, Ratchet is Old, Realization, Virus, Whirl Being Whirl, Whirl NOT being Whirl, cures, platonic fluff?, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 06:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8434813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindwiseWords/pseuds/WindwiseWords
Summary: An outbreak hits Xenogen hard, and too late Ratchet realizes he's in over his head. Evac realizes it with unlikely help from Whirl.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Idk where the Pit this came from. I kind of pulled it out of my ass. It worked so YAY Ratchet has a friend in Xenogen now! Comment with questions/ideas. <3

On the average day, all three medical wards received as many as twenty bots, and as few as one. Ratchet smacked a hand to his face as the waiting room packed fuller with mechs complaining of a virus, various symptoms that resembled a human’s stomach bug. Nobody could keep fuel down and most passed out once sitting or leaning on a friend.

“Alright. I’ve got twelve medical docks per ward.” Ratchet counted off twelve bots and pointed back toward First Aid’s ward, sending him the Constructicons for good measure. They liked his apprentice, and didn’t like Ratchet. Made sense in his mind. Counting off another twelve he pointed to his medical bay, and the last group he sent to Red Alert. Inferno stuck around to help out, Red Alert’s tricks rubbing off on his partner.

“Ratch.” Ratchet glanced up and saw Jazz, carrying Bluestreak and with Prowl leaning on his shoulder. How that tiny special Ops bot supported so much Ratchet never figured out.

“Take them in and make sure they’re put together. Last thing I need is Prowl freaking over his sparklet.” Ratchet followed them in and set to work. Jazz stayed nearby. The bot was no medic but knew how to get a mech comfortable. “Just don’t get infected.”

“Chances are, Ratch, I already caught et. Best make use of that.” He popped open a wrist port and offered it, letting Ratchet jack in and take scans of the early stages of the virus. “Anything?”

Ratchet nodded and sat a chair between Prowl and Bluestreak. “If you get dizzy, sit down. I’m going to fight a reverse to this, if you wouldn’t mind being a test subject.” Jazz shrugged and went back to tending his comrades.

 

Ratchet surfaced from Skyfire and Starscream’s lab with a UBS drive and relief. Starscream avoided the infection, and that meant their sparkling avoided it too. One less mech and bitlet to worry about.

Evac dropped his hook and Ratchet stepped a foot into it, still not used to flying this way but in times of trouble Evac never left the medic’s side. A personal data runner, guardian, transport: anything Ratchet needed even if it was a sandwich or cube of energon.

“Got this fixed up right?” Evac asked, hope in his voice.

“You know it. At the least this will delay the spread, at most it is the simplest cure I’ve seen. Starscream really came through on this one, even if he did try to claw my arm off for waking him up.” Ratchet managed a chuckle.

Evac, less amused, stayed quiet for a while. When he spoke up he dropped the subject. “Anything I can do to assist further?” He gently lowered Ratchet down onto the helipad atop the Medical Sector.

“Yes. I want you to do a wellness check on the Command Center, make sure Optimus Prime isn’t trying to weather this storm alone. This isn’t an auto repairable virus.” Evac grunted an affirmative and flew off. Again, one less thing to worry about for the CMO.

Ratchet ran to his ward, an old fussy joint complaining but he ignored it for now. Making it to his doors he slid in and found Jazz slumped in the chair. For some reason this bothered Ratchet and he instantly put the coding into a nanite processor, injecting the cure into billions of the little machines. It took four grueling minutes before the first batch was loaded into enriched energon in a syringe. Ratchet went over to study a screen, and began to treat the weakest first.

Whirl, awake but still for once, actually offered up his back shoulder and opened the plating for his injection. “Vortex?” The wrecker asked, and Ratchet checked registry for him.

“He’s doing better than you are.” Ratchet wanted to ask why, but the heli-bot just flopped back and passed out. A brief horror crossed his mind that Whirl was with Vortex. The last thing he needed: Vortex and Whirl sparklings.

Next came Bluestreak, and only because Prowl would have a fit if Ratchet treated him first. The young mech, out cold and lost to fever dream, barely twitched at the shot. Prowl was another story, lunging to grasp Ratchet’s hand and freeze the process of injecting the fluid. Ratchet could tell his battle computer fritzed and reassessed everything much too slow.

“Easy Prowl. You’re in Ratchet’s Medical Ward. Bluestreak is treated. You need to let Ratchet give you this shot now.” Slowly the death grip loosened on his hand and Ratchet wasted no time giving him the rest of the injection before he could lunge again.

Jazz managed to raise his head and grin. “Ratch, you got a cure. Primus does answer prayers.” And with that Jazz collapsed forward, using the last of his strength to catch himself on one hand. Ratchet startled and picked him up, carrying the small TIC toward a diagnostic machine. He hooked Jazz up and left to go inoculate whoever else needed it, namely Gamma Ray, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipes.

A pattern finally clicked just as he used the last injection on Hot Shot. Everyone that fell ill was a grounder so far. Skyfire and Starscream, the Twin Seekers that refused to leave Gamma’s side, none of them were ill. Taking stock once more, he counted only the Twins there and they were just fine. Ratchet froze for a moment before running off to the syringe machine and reaching for one.

Vertigo came to mind before he staggered to the side, crashing against a berth. Two sets of clawed feet caught him, a bird-like beast mech snagging him before he smacked his head. The two looked at each other before Ratchet began to ease to the floor and calculate his options. He barely noticed the onset of symptoms, knew all his medics were ground units and probably were suffering the same fate. His com systems were down, his energon processing tank was down and thankfully empty, and his emergency beacon refused to start. The only hope to retain any amount of energy was recharging, but he had a job. The harsh white ward lights began to go fuzzy yellow. Ratchet had a job. He heard a sharp exclamation as medical ward doors slammed open. Ratchet wondered how Whirl ended up infected for a moment before slipping into blackness.

 

Ratchet felt claws on his shoulders, and hands on his thighs. “Don’t drop him.” A familiar voice.

“Ye have little faith in me, old buddy old pal!” Whirl. There was no mistaking Whirl. And yet Whirl gently lay Ratchet back and patted his face. “Hey, old rusty. You dead or just forgot your four o’clock pill box.”

“Whirl, he’s not dead. Now tell me again what you heard.” That voice: Evac. Evac got here, but how so fast? Ratchet’s chronometer only told him he was out for around twenty minutes. The flight from the Command Center was at least thirty.

“Well he gave me a shot, I passed out for a few, woke up to see Airazor over there lowering Ratchet to the floor.” Oh. So he didn’t do that on his own power. “Ratchet was muttering about his job and Seekers and seemed to miss us in his count. It was really strange. Like, _me_ strange, not Ratchet strange.”

Evac looked at Airazor who managed to stay awake through the infection. She looked tired, but nodded, a silent affirmative of Whirl’s story. “Alright, so it can affect aerial units. Whirl I need you to go to the Nest and bring two syringes to Skyfire. Can you do that?”

Whirl hesitated before nodding and taking the bag Evac offered. He ran off quickly, realizing the two syringes were for Starscream and Tailgate. Whirl never dared put the carriers in danger, avoiding them entirely to spare them his outbursts.

With that taken care of, Evac set about inoculating Ratchet first, then Airazor, then going in a swoop around the room. Airazor pointed out who had gotten it so far, occasionally cracking a joke about the situation. Evac did not appreciate the making-light and before he could snap at her Ratchet decided to move.

“No, Ratchet.” Evac rushed over and without a second thought strapped the medic down. “I know you want to help but you have to get better. Let the coding do its thing and repair you.” Ratchet, with struggle, opened on eye.

“Evac…” He trailed off as the heli-bot tilted his berth up and began to feed him little bits of a cube. With a spoon. Ratchet didn’t have the strength to resist.

“No talking either. I’ll keep you sitting up, but I’ll finish up the inoculations. I sent Whirl off to the nest for the carriers there. Optimus Prime avoided infection and all unaffected flyers that are not scientists have been evacuated with a few doses in case anything pops up there. Red Alert has been treated and First Aid seemed to have the sense to treat himself first.” Evac narrowed his eyes, and Ratchet felt a scolding coming but the eyes softened and Evac moved away. He continued to chatter about anything and everything going on outside the Medical Sector while injecting bots. Ratchet saw him treat himself last before slipping back to sleep.

 

Evac quieted as he watched Ratchet sag down and rest again. _I will yell at him about this later,_ Evac promised himself, knowing all too well Ratchet subconsciously refused to treat himself before his charges. Again. One of these days that would cost him dearly. That would cost Evac a true friend.

Shaking his head, Evac slowly lowered Ratchet’s berth down again and hefted the old medic into his arms. “Airazor.” The mecha looked up and tilted her head. “Com First Aid or me if anything remotely problematic comes up. Whirl will be back to collect more syringes, let him take as many as he can carry. Optimus wants everyone treated just in case.” A pause of consideration before a nod.

“I will watch over them.” She looked around the room and sat up a bit to keep guard. A surveyor to the end of time.

Evac turned and left, intent on getting Ratchet to his quarters and away from the medical ward all together. If Ratchet woke up too close he instantly jumped back into work.

 

Evac never dared look in Ratchet’s quarters. Even when he dropped something off, he set it just inside the door and left. This time there was no option. The white-and-red paint coupled with slightly grey furnishings evoked Ratchet entirely. With care he picked his way over to the berthroom, and settled the medic in a freshly washed set of sheets. Evac tucked Ratchet in and pulled a chair over, sitting down and waiting.

 

Ratchet smelled clean sheets and warm air unlike the medical ward. _Home?_ He opened his eyes and confirmed he was home. A soft out vent caused him to jump and look over. His eyes fell on a cube of energon before Evac’s soft, smiling face, full of relief.

“How?” Ratchet croaked out, pausing and resetting his voice box a few times.

“I carried you over here. Airazor is watching over your ward with First Aid. Everyone is recovering.”

“Why?” Ratchet asked a bit softer in tone, quirking a brow. Evac frowned and narrowed his optics.

“Because you were a slagging idiot!” Voice instantly raised and Evac checked it before he started talking again. The hard tone Ratchet only knew he used in battle, or when stressed. “You treat yourself first! Especially if you’re in direct contact without gloves!” One of Ratchet’s hands was lifted and dropped on the berth padding pointedly. “I’m not a medic, Ratchet, but even I know the order of inoculation. First Aid knew. Red Alert didn’t see it coming and was fraggin’ lucky he had Inferno! You know who commed me to come back? Whirl. Whirl commed me. Whirl of all bots got _worried about your health._ That means you looked really bad, Ratchet…” Evac trailed off, getting up to pace and try to calm himself.

“Evac…” Ratchet thought of how to word this. “I owe you. You probably just saved Xenogen from an outbreak.”

“I don’t give two scraps about that.” Evac bit back harshly, glaring at Ratchet with ferocity the medic yet to see in his friend. “I care about your safety.”

Ratchet tried to glare back but the raw anger in Evac’s eyes made his own avoid staring. “I panicked. It happens to the best of us. Maybe I’m getting too old for this.”

“Maybe you’re getting too old to do this _alone_. You never ask for help, insist on doing everything yourself, and every time I’m there to offer assistance I have to shove help down your intake or you just wave me off with a grumpy, snappy comment. Maybe I realized you needed some help. Maybe I just want to help my friend out!” Evac growled, and stomped forward with such aggression Ratchet thought the usually calm bot would hit him. Two strong hands gripped the medic’s weary shoulders. “Stop. Trying. To. Do. Everything! You’re going to give yourself a spark chamber rupture. And if I lost the only friend I had I’d go crazier than Bonecrusher.”

Ratchet couldn’t look anywhere but up. For a moment he recalled a similar conversation a long time ago, Optimus holding him down to force him to understand in a similar manner. It worked; Evac found his weakness. Slowly the younger bot backed off and sat on the edge of Ratchet’s berth.

“You’re probably right, Evac.” Words that made the heli-bot double-take. “Yea. You heard me. I’m probably too old for this. Pit, I was probably too old years and years ago. But who else is gonna do this? My apprentices are nearly my level of skill. On the average day they treat more bots than I do.” He winced as he sat up, a creak betraying a joint in his back that needed maintenance. “Might be time to give up my pride and take on not just an apprentice but an assistant.” The worst sting Ratchet felt coursed through his spark. The last thing Ratchet wanted to become was useless, old, and helpless.

“There’s no shame in accepting help, Ratch.” The nickname caught his attention and there in the doorway was Optimus. He never used the name without trying to get attention. “Evac is right, and willing, to help you out. Take him under your wing. See how it benefits you both.” Warm blue eyes and a soft smile made Ratchet look away. He never liked pity, and Optimus’ friendliness made it feel like he was being a salty old fool.

Optimus Prime caught Evac’s shoulder as the mech tried to leave them alone. “No, Evac. You need to stay here and watch over my dear friend for me. I’m going to go check on the Seeker’s Nest and clear it for the sick. Before you ask, Whirl actually came by to inoculate everyone here.”

“Whirl? He’s taking this seriously?” Ratchet said nervously, the idea of serious Whirl too much for his still-spinning head. He held his forehead and felt two different hands come over to steady him. “Sorry. Whirl doing anything seriously just made me sick all over again.”

Optimus laughed, a deep and warming sound that made Evac and even Ratchet smile. “I’ll keep an eye on him. He has yet to defy me directly. Rest well, Ratchet.”

Optimus Prime left and Evac finally shook his head to rid himself of nervousness. “So that’s who kept an eye on you before I did.”

“Yea, Prime and I go way back. He always had my back, I always had his. Lately we’ve gone our separate ways for Xenogen’s sake but he picked up some new sub commanders while I guess I pushed everyone out.”

“Didn’t push me out all the way.” Evac stated bluntly, and went to sit back in the chair. “And I’m not going anywhere now.”

Ratchet grumbled and snatched the cube from the nightstand, drinking some of it and sighing. “Alright. But you better study hard. You know the basics as well as any apprentice I trained. But you got to start on the harder stuff.”

Evac just smiled and nodded. “Yes sir.”

“Don’t call me sir. Makes me feel older than I am.”

“Okay, Ratchet.” Evac chuckled and sat back. “Hey, I saw a case of movies in your living space. I don’t want you to get bored. A bored patient—“

“Is harder to deal with. Good. Go grab the Stories of the ER. Humans go in for stranger reasons than any case I’ve seen.” Ratchet gave Evac a small smile as the bot went to fetch the movies, and came back to put them on for Ratchet.

The pair spent the next eight hours cringing, laughing, and discussing the oddity of human hospitals. It was a bonding moment for teacher and student, and for somewhat unlikely friends. Ratchet made a mental note to do this again sometime, while Evac decided to find more shows like this to share with his teacher again.


End file.
